U. of Northern Virginia's Approval to Operate Revoked

Submitted by Elizabeth Redden on July 23, 2013 - 3:00am

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia has revoked[1] the operating certificate of the University of Northern Virginia, an unaccredited institution that was raided[2] by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in 2011 in relation to its enrollment of foreign students. In a letter[3] sent to the institution, the State Council cites the university's failure to obtain candidacy status with an accrediting agency approved by the U.S. Department of Education in five years. The letter also states that the university waived its right to appeal the revocation upon entering into a 2012 consent agreement that extended the deadline to obtain said candidacy status until June 1 of this year.

The university has been instructed to immediately cease offering postsecondary educational programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia and to provide the State Council with enrollment and financial records. The university, whose Manassas and Annandale locations are certified[4] by the U.S. government to enroll international students, has also been instructed to confer with the U.S Department of Homeland Security "to determine viable options” for F-1 visa holders enrolled at the institution.

Officials at the University of Northern Virginia did not immediately respond to voicemail messages on Monday afternoon. An e-mail to the general mailbox bounced back as undeliverable.